This English muffin bread bakes up with all the nooks and crannies you love-just like the real thing, but without all the fuss. It's no-knead, stirs together in minutes, and slices up into the perfect toast: crispy, golden edges with soft, airy middles that soak up butter like a sponge.
🎧 Listen to the recipe
Not in the mood to read all this? Hit play below and I'll walk you through the audio version of this English muffin bread recipe with all the sass, tips, and biscuit-loving charm you've come to expect from me.
Table of Contents
- 🎧 Listen to the recipe
- 🎥 Video: English muffin bread
- Reasons to love this english muffin bread
- 📋 English muffin bread ingredients
- 📖 Recipe
- 🔪 How to make English muffin bread step by step
- 🔍 What should the dough look like? Hint: Gloopy Is Good!
- Marye's Pro Tips (They'll Save Your Loaf)
- 📚 More bread recipes you'll love
- 💬 Comments
🎥 Video: English muffin bread
Wanna know what gloopy perfection looks like? Watch this quick video to see exactly how your English muffin bread dough should look-nail the texture, and you're golden (literally).
Reader Review: (5 stars) Made this tonight, and I was a little nervous as I've never attempted bread before. Easy recipe to follow and turned out absolutely delicious!!! Was going to share my second loaf with a neighbor but I changed my mind after the first bite! ~Rachel
Reasons to love this english muffin bread
Some mornings demand real toast - crispy edges, buttery craters, and zero kneading. This loaf delivers everything you want in a slice of toast-without asking you to wrestle with a dough hook.
- No kneading required - stir by hand
- Sticky, gloopy dough = right texture, trust me. (It might look like a hot mess in the bowl, but that's the secret to those buttery craters we're all here for).
- Use cornmeal for that signature crust
- Best for toasting - crispy edges, fluffy inside
- Done in just over an hour (plus rising time)
📋 English muffin bread ingredients
You'll just need basic ingredients for this recipe - most are probably in your pantry right now.
- Yeast -You can use instant yeast instead of regular yeast - just add it in with the dry ingredients and skip the first step of proofing in water.
- Water - Make sure your water temperature isn't too hot nor too cold - it should be about 110F. This is important! Use a thermometer if you're not an experienced baker.
- Sugar - Yeast need sugar to "eat" in order to rise properly. You can substitute honey if you prefer.
- All-purpose flour - No need for bread flour for this recipe.
- Milk - Any kind of milk is fine - just make sure it's 110F.
- Butter - Salted or unsalted is fine. Whatever you have handy.
- Baking soda - Helps to make the craters.
- Salt - Is important for flavor as well as keeping the yeast under control.
- Cornmeal - Not essential but it is traditional.
🍞 Grab your Free English Muffin Kitchen Cheat Sheet for extra tips, FAQs, and more.
📖 Recipe
English Muffin Bread Recipe
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 4 ½ cups flour, you may need less or a little more
- 2 tablespoons yeast, or 2 packets
- 1 tablespoon honey, or sugar
- ¼ cup warm water, 110F
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ¼ cups warm milk, 110F
- Butter and cornmeal for greasing and dusting the pans
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, honey, and water. Set aside.
- Stir the salt, baking soda, and 1 cup of flour together.
- Add the milk to the yeast mixture.
- Blend well.
- Add the remaining flour, OR ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU A SOFT GOOPY DOUGH and beat.
- You should have a very soft, goopy dough. Yes. I said goopy. See the video for a visual.
- Spoon the dough into 2 8-inch (or 1 9-inch) loaf pans that have been greased and dusted with the cornmeal.
- Set aside in a warm place until the batter has doubled and is at the top of the pans, or a little above. This may take 30 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425F
- Dust the tops of the loaves with cornmeal and bake for 15 minutes or so. Loaf will sound hollow when tapped. Interior should register 190F-200F on an instant-read thermometer stuck in the center.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes if you want a crisper, more golden crust.
- Cool and slice.
Notes
- Just use all-purpose flour in this recipe. No need for bread flour.
- The batter should be very loose and gloopy. If you add too much flour you won't have those lovely nooks and crannies.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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🔪 How to make English muffin bread step by step
This is an easy, no-knead yeast loaf. You don't need a mixer or a breadmaker - just a big wooden spoon and some patience. In about an hour you'll have a loaf that's perfect for toasting.
- Butter two 8x4-inch bread pans, or one 9x5-inch
- Dust with cornmeal.
- Add the sugar to the water in small bowl.
- Stir in the yeast.
- Set aside until foamy.
- Blend the dry ingredients.
- Add the yeast mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the milk.
- Add ENOUGH FLOUR TO GIVE YOU A SOFT GOOPY DOUGH.
- Spoon the dough from the large bowl into each prepared loaf pan. Try to keep the amount of batter in each one equal. Set aside in a warm place to double. Dust the tops of the dough with cornmeal and bake until the top of the loaves are golden brown.
- Cool loaves.
- Slice.
🔍 What should the dough look like? Hint: Gloopy Is Good!
I've had so many people ask what a gloopy dough is so I grabbed one of the images from the video. This is the perfect texture!
It's a very wet dough. Usually if you can't get the bumpy texture like in my pictures you've added too much flour because you're afraid of the sticky dough.
Marye's Pro Tips (They'll Save Your Loaf)
- This is an easy bread recipe to stir together by hand. I DO NOT recommend making it with an electric mixer because it will get over beaten, even on low speed, and your perfect texture will be lost.
- You can let the dough for this English muffin loaf rise overnight in the refrigerator if you want to save time in the morning or if you prefer to develop the flavor more. Spray plastic wrap with no stick spray and cover the batter so it won't dry out.
Don't forget the free English Muffin Kitchen Cheat Sheet for more.
📚 More bread recipes you'll love
🍞 Cinnamon Raisin Slow Cooker Bread - All the cozy vibes, none of the work.
🍞 Buttermilk Bread -Southern charm in a fluffy, no-fail loaf.
🍞 No-Knead Sandwich Bread - Your new go-to for toast and grilled cheese.
Once you've had a slice of this English muffin bread fresh from the toaster, I promise - you'll never go back to store-bought. Leave a rating, drop a comment, or tell me what you slathered on top (I'm a strawberry butter girl, but I don't judge). And don't forget to grab your free English muffin bread cheat sheet while you're here - it'll save your loaf more than once.
Doug Swanson says
I made your bread just as you said. I changed the volume measurement to Grams. I did this because mine dough was always dry, didn't raise. I have since adopted the goopy method and only adding flour to the desired consistency, not just per the recipe amount of flour.
My results flavor and texture wise is perfect, thank you. The center of the loaf has sank both times. I tried a third time. This time mixing it longer and added a touch more salt. I read that mixing it longer, and salt increase the gluten structure so it would support itself better, nope. Loaf center fell again.
Any ideas on the center falling
Mine bread had risen in about 25 minutes
Marye says
The center drops when there's not enough flour, the flour doesn't have enough gluten, or it's raw in the center. I don't weigh ingredients so I am not sure what's going on.
Josa says
Sure wish the instructions matched the video….I may have to throw the first batch away. Your instructions need to be more thorough. Like SET ASIDE FOR 5-10 mins, not just “set aside” I went back and read it multiple times and thought, surely if I needed to wait any length of time it would say so…so. Here goes nothing
Marye says
If you're talking about the yeast - it's true I let active dry yeast proof for 5 to 10 minutes. I am sorry that that was inadvertantly left out of the instructions - to my knowledge no one has mentioned it in the over 10 years it's been on the blog. Letting yeast proof isn't necessary any more... I prefer to do it that way. If your bread didn't turn out it wasn't the yeast issue.
Lucy says
In the oven now. Watched your video several times to make sure I got the gloop right. Very helpful. Also added 1/4 tsp ginger to yeast per your suggestion, I’ve NEVER seen yeast proof like that. I swear it was at least 6” tall in the bowl. Hopefully not over proofed, but i got too busy measuring out my flour etc. My question is how long to leave in the pan to cool before flipping from pans?
Marye says
I usually put the bread pans on their sides and cover with a tea towel for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Lucy says
Thank you for the quick reply. Unfortunately both my loaves sank in the middle. Still taste wonderful though. Just look weird, haha. And I got the craggy look, light and airy. As I said, that yeast poofed up really high. Maybe it was exhausted when I added the flour mix to it. It also took a very long time to rise to the top after I put in pans, over an hour. Will certainly make again, it’s definitely a keeper. Is it possible to over mix before putting in pans?
Arline says
Delicious and so easy! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I made it three times now with 2 packets of yeast and 4 cups of flour (it’s a dry climate in Colorado) and it came out perfect each time. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Again, thanks! 😊
Marye says
Thank you, Arline! I am so glad you like it.
Kirsten says
If you use instant yeast with the dry ingredients, do you still include the water and honey in with the milk or leave them out entirely?
Marye says
Yes. 🙂